The first proposers of the Ayrshire Cup were two medical
students, a John Smith of Mauchline and a Mr Wilson of Ayr. After failing to
persuade Ayr Thistle to take up the task, John Wallace of Kilmarnock took up
the baton. Voluntary contributions, almost exclusively in
Kilmarnock, helped finance the competition and was instrumental in the
town having an almost exclusive hold on the choice of final venues. Indeed it
wasnit until 1897 when the final tie was played outside the town with Ayr
being the choice.

The followingnotes regarding the competition in
the 20th Century have been supplied thanks to David Ross.

There were a couple of occasions when
the winners didn't actually 'win' the Final. In 1921 Ayr United refused to
replay at Rugby Park on the date set by the Ayrshire FA so Kilmarnock were awarded the trophy. In 1959 the scores were level
after two legs so in the days before penalty shoot-outs or away goals
counting double the rule was that in the event of a tie the holders kept the
trophy so it stayed in Ayr.

Penalty shoot-outs were introduced in
1970-71.

Between 1946-1978 Kilmarnock and Ayr
United were the only entrants. Prior to WW2 the number of entrants fluctuated
- from a peak of over forty to just four in the 1930s (Kilmarnock, Ayr
United, Beith and Galston). In 1978-79 Girvan joined the competition.

The last winners outside the 'big
two' were Beith in 1926-27.

Although the competition was
suspended during WW2 the second leg of the 1938-39 final was played on September
30th 1939, after the outbreak of war but eight days after the SFA lifted
their ban on competitive football.

The latest date for a final is for
the 1932-33 competition which was actually played in February 1934. However
the 1934-35 competition took longer to conclude. The final was held at Rugby
Park in October 1935 but was drawn 3-3. The replay at Somerset wasn't played
until 22 April 22 1936 when Kilmarnock won 8-0 (a
record score for a Kilmarnock-Ayr United game) with six different players
scoring.

Most successive wins is seven -
Kilmarnock from 1950-51 to 1956-57 inclusive. Kilmarnock have
also won five times in a row 1980-81 to 1984-85 inclusive. They were the
first club to win three in succession (1884, 1885, 1886), a feat they
achieved on several more occasions.

Ayr United's best run was four in a
row from 1974-75 - 77-78. They also won three in succession - 1968-69,
1969-70, 1970-71. No other club has won more than
twice in succession though Stevenston United - winners in 1914-15 and again
in 1919-20 held the trophy for six seasons as it wasn't contested between
those dates.

Some snippets on managers. Most
successful was Kilmarnock's Malky MacDonald with eight victories. Best for
Ayr was Ally McLeod with seven, the same tally as Kilmarnock's Hugh Spence.

MacDonald & McLeod were also both
in charge of Scotland of course. The only ACF in which they were opposite
each other was 1966. Other Scotland managers to have won the Ayrshire Cup are
Tommy Burns and George Burley. They faced each other in the ACF in 1992 &
1993.

Ayr manager Gerry Mays (1962) was a
former Kilmarnock player. And Alex Gibson who managed Ayr in the 1932-33
competition (completed in 1934) was a former Kilmarnock Chairman! James
MacDonald, Ayr secretary/manager in the early 1920s held the same position at
Rugby Park before WWI and Ayr boss from 1979-1983, Willie McLean, was the
brother of Kilmarnock players Tommy & Jim.

Winners

1878 Mauchline

1879 Kilmarnock Athletic

1880 Beith

1881 Lugar Boswell

1882 Kilmarnock Portland

1883 Kilmarnock Athletic

1884 Kilmarnock

1885 Kilmarnock

1886 Kilmarnock

1887 Hurlford

1888 Kilbirnie

1889 Hurlford

1890 Annbank

1891 Kilmarnock

1892 Annbank

1893 Annbank

1894 Hurlford

1895 Annbank

1896 Kilmarnock

1897 Kilmarnock Athletic

1898 Kilmarnock

1899 Kilmarnock

1900 Kilmarnock

1901 Ayr

1902 Ayr Parkhouse

1903 Galston

1904 Galston

1905 Ayr

1906 Ayr

1907 Hurlford

1908 Galston

1909 Hurlford

1910 Ayr

1911 Hurlford

1912 Ayr United

1913 Galston

1914 Galston

1915 Stevenston United

1916-1919 no competition

1920 Stevenston United

1921 Kilmarnock

1922 Kilmarnock

1923 Kilmarnock

1924 Beith

1925 Galston

1926 Ayr United

1927 Beith

1928 Kilmarnock

1929 Ayr United

1930 Kilmarnock

1931 Kilmarnock

1932not
competed for

1933 Ayr United

1934not
competed for

1935 Kilmarnock

1936 Ayr United

1937no
competition

1938 Ayr United

1939 Ayr United

1940-1946no
competition

1947 Kilmarnock

1948no
competition

1949no
competition

1950 Ayr United

1951 Kilmarnock

1952 Kilmarnock

1953 Kilmarnock

1954 Kilmarnock

1955 Kilmarnock

1956 Kilmarnock

1957 Kilmarnock

1958 Ayr United

1959 Ayr United / Kilmarnock
(shared)

1960 Kilmarnock

1961 Ayr United

1962 Kilmarnock

1963incomplete

1964incomplete

1965 Ayr United

1966 Kilmarnock

1967incomplete

1968incomplete

1969 Ayr United

1970 Ayr United

1971 Ayr United

1972 Kilmarnock

1973 Kilmarnock

1974 Kilmarnock

1975 Ayr United

1976 Ayr United

1977 Ayr United

1978 Ayr United

1979 Kilmarnock

1980 Ayr United

1981 Kilmarnock

1982 Kilmarnock

1983 Kilmarnock

1984 Kilmarnock

1985 Kilmarnock

1986 Ayr United

1987 Kilmarnock

1988 Ayr United

1989 Ayr United

1990 Kilmarnock

1991 Ayr United

1992 Kilmarnock

1993 Kilmarnock

1994 Kilmarnock

1995 Ayr United

1996 Kilmarnock

1997 Ayr United

1998 Kilmarnock

Ayrshire Cup  1877/78

1st
round:

CatrinewalkoverLargs Westernscratched

BeithwalkoverBeith Thistlescratched

Dalry
Rangers1Kilmarnock5

(played at Rugby Park,
Kilmarnock)

Kilbirnie6Ayr Academicals0[NOT
Dec 1]

(after a 1-1 draw on Nov 24)

Kilmarnock
Cricket and Football Club

1Kilmarnock Portland2

Kilmarnock
Dean0Kilmarnock Hawthorn1Nov
24

Kilmaurs
Floors1Irvine3Dec 1

[Irvine scorers - Johnstone and Light body (2). Also
noted as 0-3]

Weather described as excellent but pitch was
waterlogged and the match continued after dark.

(game claimed by Kilmaurs as
Irvine did not appear on the agreed date  protest upheld)

Mauchline16Burnfoothill Ramblers0Dec
8

Maybole
Carrick4Tarbolton1Dec
8

Maybole
Ladywell1Cumnock0

Rankinston
Mountaineers0Lanemark2

(after a draw)

Stewarton2Kilmarnock Star2Nov
24

(Stewarton, under protest, refused to play again and
were thrown out of the competition)

(att. 4,000, after a protested game at Beith on Mar 20
which was stopped due to break-in with Mauchline leading 1-0)

Kilbirnie
received a bye.

Final:

Beith1Kilbirnie0Apr
17

(at Holm Quarry, Kilmarnock,
att. 5,000)

Ayrshire
Cup  1880/81

1st
round:

Lugar
Boswell13Barleith1

Mauchline5Waterside1

Darvel3Cameronians1

Burnfoothill6Cumnock0

Common
Rangers14Ochiltree0

Crosshouse1Kilmarnock Arthurlie4Oct
9

Kimarnock
Burns1Vale of Cessnock0

Kilmarnock
Athletic15Irvine Athletic0Oct
9

Kilmarnock
Portland10Burnfoothill Ardnith0Oct
9

Stewarton
Cunningham4Ayr Rovers0Oct
16

Hurlford4Rankinston0

(after a 2-2 draw)

Ardrossan
Seafield7Ayr Robert Burns0

Gatehead2Beith5Oct 16

Ardeer0Beith Burnside1Oct
16

Cronberry
Eglinton6Ayr Athole0

Kilmarnock
Caledonian4Lanemark3Oct
23

Irvine
Rangers2Coylton Coila6Oct
30

This match was played in Irvine at the Irvine Mains
Farm which is roughly where Irvine Meadow XI play
today. Rangers took a 2-0 lead but were down 3-2 by half-time. With the score
at 6-2 to Coylton and thirty minutes to play , the
ball burst. With no replacement the match ended but Coylton, were awarded the
tie.

The Lugar Boswell v Irvine 2nd leg match was never
played. Irvine FC had gone defunct by October 1899. Continuing financial
problems were the main reasons for the club closing down. However, the emergent
and very successful junior side, Irvine Meadow XI, saw the senior club as a
direct rival for the towns support and resources. A comment in the Irvine
Herald summed this up, Rather curious, isnt it that at the Irvine FC meeting,
a Meadow XI committee-man was the mover that the senior club be wound up!

(at Somerset Park, Ayr(gate £80. 4s 9d), game unfinished due
to a break-in by Annbank supporters. Annbank lodged another protest regarding
Ralston of Galston but this was thrown out by the Ayrshire F.A. The Association
also voted by 7 votes to 2 to award the Cup to Galston as Annbank had wanted
the game replayed as the game had not been completed. This was after a
protested game won 4-3 by Galston at Beresford Park, Ayrand a 1-1 draw at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock on
Apr 11 (att. 3,000, gate £103 0s 3d))

Ayrshire Cup
 1903/04

1st round:

AyrscratchedHurlfordwalkover

KilmarnockwalkoverStevenston Thistlescratched

(Stevenston Thistle
had closed down)

Galston3Kilwinning Eglinton0Oct 31

(game
stopped due to darkness falling, after a 3-3 draw at Kilwinning on Sep 26)

Annbank2Beith1Sep 26

Maybole0Ayr Parkhouse3Sep 26

Beith protested to the Ayrshire Football Association
stating that the draw for the competition was not legal as there had not been a
quorum present at the meeting when the draw was made. This was upheld and the
competition was re-drawn.

1st
round:

Maybole0Beith1Nov 21

Kilwinning
Eglinton2Annbank0Nov 21

Hurlford1Galston5Dec 26

(at Galston, after a 3-3 draw
at Galston on Nov 21, a 1-1 draw at Galston which was stopped after an hours
play on Nov 28)

KilmarnockwalkoverStevenston Thistlescratched

Ayr5Ayr Parkhouse1Dec 12

(after a 2-2 draw at
Beresford Park, Ayr on Dec 5)

2nd
round:

Beith3Kilmarnock A1Mar 5

(after a 1-1 draw at
Kilmarnock on Jan 16)

Ayr,
Galston and Kilwinning Eglinton received byes.

Semi-finals:

Ayr0Galston3Feb 20

(at Somerset
Park, Ayr, game was abandoned after a pitch invasion, game awarded to Galston)

Kilwinning
Eglinton1Beith6Mar 12

(at
Blacklands Park, Kilwinning)

Final:

Galston4Beith1Mar 26

(at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock)

Ayrshire Cup  1904/05

1st round:

Annbank2Ayr Academicals0Apr
22

(at
Beresford Park, Ayr, after a 1-1 draw at Annbank on Mar 25 and a 1-1 draw at
Ayr on Apr 8)

HurlfordKilwinning
EglintonMar
25

Beith2Maybole0Apr 22

(at
Wellington Park, Hurlford, after a 1-1 draw at Maybole on Mar 25 and